In the past, a variety of obstructive sleep disorders or conditions, such as sleep apnea, snoring or the like have been endured by persons. These are generally conditions in which the person's airways, either nasal or oral, become blocked or restricted during sleep. A restricted air supply impairs the flow of oxygen to the person's lungs which, in turn, cuts off the supply of oxygen to the brain. Prior attempts have been made to provide apparatus for alleviating a patient's suffering from such breathing disorders. Modern respiratory therapy provides continuous positive air pressure to the patient so that the positive air pressure acts to keep the airways open. By providing a consistent flow of breathable air at positive pressure to the nasal passages, the adverse affects of sleep apnea and other breathing disorders are often reduced.
Maintaining the apparatus with respect to the user's head is difficult, especially because of the positive pressure aspect. The position of the apparatus must be properly maintained so that the breathable air supply can be reliably delivered to the user's nose. Some apparatus employs an arrangement of straps which engage around the head of the user. Such straps are uncomfortable for sleeping, and are particularly difficult when they are sufficiently tight to hold the apparatus in proper nasal proximity. Most prior devices do not provide a stabilizing or mounting system for adequately supporting the apparatus about the facial area of the user. In addition to support, it is necessary to deliver the stream of breathable air to the nose or adjacent the nostrils. Therefore there is a need to provide an apparatus which can be positioned adjacent the user's nose and sealed with respect to his nose or nostrils so that the supply of breathable air is properly directed and in a reliable relationship with respect to the nose or nasal passages.